Tomato juice for 2017.

Tomato harvests are at their peak. We have more tomatoes than you need/want, so we will bottle some of this week’s tomatoes for next year’s tomato juice. We picked plum tomatoes for your CSA boxes this week, and will make ripe slicing tomatoes into juice. Contract Comestibles, a small food processor in East Troy, will process the juice for us. That is a job beyond us in every sense (time, ability, legality). Bottling is a great way to use surplus tomatoes at peak season, and we will be glad to have the juice tucked away for next year. The tomatoes are in very good shape, so we predict a fine batch of juice.

As you probably noticed, we usually pack 4 lb tomatoes per CSA box at peak season. We settled on that amount based on feedback from you folks. Shoot us an email if you have any thoughts on the amount. We are always open to suggestions and I have wondered if 4 lb per week is what everyone wants. Beth

Extra tomatoes for sale next week?

We offered extra plum tomatoes for sale to Friday sites this week. We think there will be enough to offer to the Thursday sites next week. Watch for emails from us mid-week.

Plum tomatoes – Plum tomatoes are meaty, with higher solids and lower water content than slicing tomatoes. They are the best tomato for sauce. They make a fine salad too.Edamame soybeans (bundle of green stems with pods attached ) – These edible soybeans are a treat. Pull the pods from the stem and wash well. It helps to submerge the pods and rub them together. Boil in water until the pods have split and the beans are quite tender. Season with salt and pop the beans out of the pods and into your mouth. This Japanese specialty is becoming more and more popular in the USA.Storage: Remove the pods from the stems promptly and refrigerate.Sweet corn – This corn is a bit starchy so the best use is to cut the kernels from the cob and add to a recipe. This is the last corn of the season.Oranos or lunchbox peppers – Oranos are orange. Lunchbox peppers are smaller and mixed colors: red, orange, yellow. Otherwise, these peppers are pretty similar. Sweet, flavorful, crunchy, they are the perfect size to pack for lunch the first week of school.

If you plan to make the candied bacon, I’d recommend starting now and then the meal will all be done around the same time.

In a large stock pot or sauce pan, melt butter. Add corn, jalapeno, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until beginning to soften (about 5 minutes). Add in water and milk. Reduce heat to medium high and wait for mixture to just begin bubbling. Stir once or twice with a whisk while waiting for it to bubble to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Pour in grits slowly, whisking while you pour them in to create a smooth texture. Reduce heat to a low simmer and continue whisking every couple minutes to keep the mixture from clumping or sticking. When grits look creamy and consistent, they’re ready! They cook very quickly, about 10 minutes. If they cease up while you prepare other parts of your meal, just cook them over low heat and add more milk until they have the desired consistency.

Preheat your grill to high. Place whole peppers directly over burner. Toss onions with olive oil and place these slices directly over burner as well. Flip every two minutes or so and take off the grill once peppers are blackened and onions have grill marks. Peppers with take 6-10 minutes. Onions will take 4-5 minutes.

Roughly chop grilled onions and set to the side. Once cool to the touch, peel skin off peppers, remove seeds and cut into strips. Add to onions in a small bowl.

Add about a half cup of grits to a large bowl, top with onions and peppers followed by candied bacon (if using). Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of maple syrup and enjoy!

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What do members say about our CSA?

We love Tipi Produce! Now my kids ask me before eating their veggies, ‘Is it from the farm?’ My oldest (age 8) says veggies are always better from the farm.

I am very impressed with the variety, and surprised at a few veggies I hadn’t tried before (leeks – I didn’t know that I loved them!). The newsletters help us figure out what to do with some of the veggies outside of our ‘comfort zone.’ It’s been a great experience for our whole family.